Stylos is the blog of Jeff Riddle, a Reformed Baptist Pastor in North Garden, Virginia. The title "Stylos" is the Greek word for pillar. In 1 Timothy 3:15 Paul urges his readers to consider "how thou oughtest to behave thyself in the house of God, which is the church of the living God, the pillar (stylos) and ground of the truth."

Friday, January 25, 2019

The Vision (1.25.19): Christ’s Prayer for the Unity of the Apostles

And now I am no more in the world, but these are in the
world, and I come to thee. Holy Father, keep through thine own name those whom
thou hast given me, that they may be one, as we are (John 17:11).

In
Christ’s High Priestly Prayer, the Lord Jesus prays especially for his original
disciples, the apostles (see John 17:6-19).

In
v. 11, Christ prays that the Father will keep the apostles, that is, that he
will help them to persevere in the faith. He then prays that they will be given
unity: “that they may be one, as we are”
(v. 11b). He asks the Father to give the apostles the same unity that is
enjoyed by the Father and the Son within the triune Godhead. He offers this petition
for the original disciples, even as he will make a similar request for future
generations of disciples later in this prayer (see v. 21: “That they all may be
one….”).

Consider
for just a second, how Christ’s prayer for unity among the apostles was
answered by the Father.After the death,
burial, resurrection, and ascension of Christ, the body of believers was not
divided into eleven or twelve different movements, but one movement. The
apostles remained united in Christ.

Think
about the opening chapter of 1 Corinthians when Paul says that he has heard
that believers have been divided into factions, with some saying, I follow
Paul, others saying, I follow Cephas [Peter], others, I follow Apollos [a
gifted early teacher], and some, I follow Christ (see 1 Cor 1:12).

Paul’s
response is brilliant. He does not say, Tell those who follow Peter to get in
line and begin to follow me! No, he says, “Is Christ divided? Was Paul
crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?” (v. 13).

Why
were the apostles able to have unity? Because they did not want any glory for
themselves, but they wanted to give all the glory to Christ alone. And they had
this in answer to Christ’s intercession for them.

Christ
prayed for unity among the apostles and that prayer was answered by the Father.
May he continue to keep and to give unity to those of us who have come to believe
in Christ through their word.